Knighton to get his chance between pipes for Vancouver

It looks like Brad Knighton will be the man minding the goal for Vancouver Whitecaps FC this Sunday.

The Virginia native will keep his place between the pipes following solid outings during Vancouver's last two matches.

All three goals he’s conceded in those two defeats have been nigh unstoppable. In the first of those two matches, Knighton was beat by a rifled long-range shot from Juninho before David Beckham executed one of his signature free kicks late in the match to round out the 2-0 LA Galaxy win.

SAVE: Knighton denies Ferreira from the spot

Then, last weekend, Canadian international Julian de Guzman scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner from the edge of the area on the volley - a blow that still hurts - to give FC Dallas a 1-0 win.

“Obviously, it was heartbreaking the way the game ended,” Knighton told reporters after a training session at Swangard Stadium on Tuesday. “I thought we played really well at times in the game – a lot better than the previous four games. So, we were a lot more attacking minded. We kept the ball well. We had some chances and just couldn’t finish them off.”

Despite the loss, Knighton had a strong game, notably stopping David Ferreira from the penalty spot by guessing correctly.

“I figured he was more of a cheeky player that kind of likes to curl balls,” Knighton said. “I got a good read on it, took a couple of steps, and got a good hand on it.”

Following the match, head coach Martin Rennie confirmed Knighton will keep his place for this weekend’s match against Colorado Rapids, “unless anything changes during the week.” Getting that decisive support from his coach so soon after the defeat is a boost for the 27-year-old.

“It’s huge any time the manager can back you,” Knighton said. “My confidence is higher than ever right now, so I’m taking it one game at a time and trying to put together a good performance this week and hopefully carry that into the weekend.”

Martin MacMahon covers Vancouver Whitecaps FC for MLSsoccer.com.

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